Album Review: Six Feet Under – Crypt of the Devil

Album:  Crypt of the Devil

Release Date:  5 May 2015

Label:  Metal Blade

Songs:  10

Length:  37 Minutes

Previous Albums:  Haunted (1995); Warpath (1997); Maximum Violence (1999); True Carnage (2001); Bringer of Blood (2003); 13 (2005); Commandment (2007); Death Rituals (2008); Undead (2012); Unborn (2013).

Genre:  Death Metal

Location:  Florida, United States

Six Feet Under is back with another dose of groove-laden death metal. The only problem the groove part.  The classic rhythm that laid the foundation for most of the eleven Six Feet Under albums simply doesn’t exist on Crypt of the Devil.  Instead, it has been mostly replaced with blast beats, tighter riffs, and abrupt tempo changes.  On paper, that really doesn’t sound like a problem does it?  For some reason it doesn’t work as well as I think they might have planned.  There is either something missing from the recipe or there is too much of something that spoiled the end result.  Let’s figure this out… 

Video of the Week – Seeing Red

IHate is a project from death metal veteran Chris Barnes.  I don’t think Six feet Under is going by the wayside, IHate is a new project of violent death metal that seems to me to be a bit more brutal than the groovy Six Feet Under tunes we have come to know over the years.  Check it out for yourself.  Just a b it of a disclaimer…this video graphically represents death metal nicely.

Album Review: Six Feet Under – Unborn

Six Feet Under have been in the business a long time.  Their first album, Haunted, was released in 1995 and for 18 years they have been creating Death metal with an emphasis on groove and mid-tempo based songs.  In addition to their 10 studio albums, they have also released four compilation albums, an extended play, and three DVDs.  They have been busy, but does that mean they have watered themselves down?  In short, yes.  Even as a fan, I felt many of their most recent released started to blend together and lacked individuality.  If I took all of my favorite songs from them since 2003 and put them on a CD mix, I probably couldn’t tell you what album they came from.  I never listened to Death Rituals, their 2008 studio album.

Album Review: Six Feet Under – Undead

If it hadn’t been for a few recent lineup changes, I probably wouldn’t have been that excited about Six Feet Under’s new album, Undead.  I would have bought whatever they released as the dedicated fan I am, though it probably would have been more of the same repetitive groove-driven riffs, deep growls, and occasional double-bass I could count on.  Enter both (former) Chimaira guitarists Rob Arnold and Matt DeVries and now I am most interested (note – DeVries on bass already left and was replaced by Jeff Hughell).  Undead is the album we have all wanted to hear from Barnes and Co.  Why?  It is Death metal just like the old days of the first three SFU albums – more or less, which is a good thing.  However, Arnold being in the band doesn’t necessarily mean the introduction of longer and more melodic guitar solos.  In fact, most of the songs barely scratch the 3-minute surface.

Song of the Week – Frozen at the Moment of Death

If you follow death metal then you know the groovy grinding sounds of Six Feet Under will be upon us shortly. Excited?  For now, they have released this new track for your listening pleasure – well worth for our Song of the Week.  I have to say…this is the Six Feet Under I have been waiting for! This is much faster than what we have been hearing from Barnes and Co. over the years. I think the addition of (former Chimaira guitarist) Rob Arnold kicked SFU into gear. So far, this new music is quite promising.  Click here to take you away to where their song is patiently waiting to be heard.

Six Feet Under – Update

For death metal fans, there is some Six Feet Under music on the horizon.  This could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you feel about Six Feet Under in recent years.  Let me tell you what’s up and you can decide if this news excites you.

Earlier in 2011, guitarist Terry Butler and drummer Greg Call parted ways with Six Feet Under.  That much you probably already know.  It didn’t take too long for singer Chris Barnes to enlist some new musicians to keep the brutality alive.  Barnes recruited guitarist Rob Arnold, bassist Matt DeVries, and drummer Kevin Talley.  What do these three people all have in common?  They were all (and some still are) members of Chimaira.  As far as I can tell Arnold and DeVries are still active members of Chimaira.  With Six Feet Under working on new material for a possible 2011 release, I am not sure what will happen in Chimaira camp as they are about to release a new album in two weeks.

Will Six Feet Under still hang on to that death metal vide with thrash members of Chimaira in on the writing process?  According to Metal Blade Records, Barnes is saying the vocals will go back to 1993 era vocals and Arnold is saying that Six Feet Under will be nothing less than pure death metal.  According to Wikipedia, Six Feet Under is also a five piece band, but I am sure that is subject to change at some point…who is actually in the band full-time?  I don’t know, but if Six feet Under is going back to old school death metal, I am all for it.

In related news, both Chimaira keyboardist/programmer and drummer have left the band and new members have been enlisted to keep Chimiara alive.

Here is some Six Feet Under to keep you entertained until some new death metal is upon us.